At one time or another you had some serious fire and couldn’t wait to start living healthier. The time will come when the “newness” wears off and you’ll probably lose quite a bit of the motivation you started with. Let me first just say that nobody is perfect and most of us have gotten back on track several times over. To some, getting back on track happens after a weekend full of crap eating and for others it might mean getting back on track after a long hiatus. Whether it’s been 2 days or 2 years, it’s never too late to get back on track!
One of my challengers this month inspired me to write up this post and in honor of our wedding anniversary today (July 25th) I present to you:
1. Track all of your food intake today. No matter what you eat, you’ll learn from it.
2. Try a quick workout. Take a 5-minute walk, it’s better than nothing!
3. Mix up your playlist. Whether you workout with DVDs or in the gym, change your track list to help you get pumped up again.
4. Drink water. Many people forget to track their drinks when keeping a food diary – drinks count too! Whether it’s coffee, tea, alcoholic, juice, etc…try replacing one of those drinks each day with a glass of cold ice water.
5. Bring your workouts outside for a change of scenery.
6. Call someone you care about and tell them your short term goal. This can help hold you accountable.
7. Track your workouts. You can do this using a notebook or online using things like MyFitnessPal or TeamBeachbody (they’re all FREE!). Seeing those workouts get done will help motivate you to keep going.
8. Try a new recipe. This always works for me! (AllRecipes.com and Pinterest.com are great for this)
9. Do a monthly challenge. There are tons of these available! It could be my 30-90 day challenge or even something as simple as a 30-day squat or plank challenge.
10. Reward yourself. If you’re just starting out, reward yourself after an entire week with no missed workouts. (good ideas include a sports bra, new workout songs or new gym shorts)
11. Start small. You don’t have to hit the ground running. This could mean one small change in your diet (for example – drinking pop every 2 days instead of every day; this IS progress)
12. Sign up for a fun run. I’ve done several of these so far and I remember being scared to death prior to my very first run. Signing up for your first 5K will motivate you to keep working so that you’re able to successfully complete that run. And I promise they aren’t that hard and all the other runners/walkers are very supportive!
13. Start NOW. Don’t wait until tomorrow…or the dreaded Monday.
14. Plan your meals. I cannot keep my diet real clean if I don’t plan my meals. Planning makes all the difference for me and it doesn’t have to take a lot of time.
15. Recommit. Think about *WHY* you want to be healthier. WRITE IT DOWN.
16. Ignore sabotagers. I don’t know if that’s a word but it makes sense to me! You know the people I’m talking about…the ones who give you crap because they’ve noticed you’re eating healthier these days. The ones who polk fun because you avoid the morning donuts at work. The ones who make smart-ass comments about your lifestyle. Ugh!! Let me just say that the only reason people do that is because it makes them uncomfortable for their own sake. It’s not about YOU, it’s about THEM.
17. Try a 7-day food challenge. This could be eating clean for 7 days or trying a pale0 or gluten-free challenge for 7 days. I did a 30-day paleo challenge and it helped me tremendously even though I don’t stick to it 100% of the time right now. It made me feel amazing!
18. Treat yourself to a new cookbook with healthy recipes! Some good ones are The Eat Clean Diet or The Hungry Girl cookbooks.
19. Healthy living cannot stop. Once you realize this, it’ll make things easier. When you meet your “goal weight” or “ideal body” you can’t quit. To reap the benefits of healthy living you’ve got to commit for LIFE! Doesn’t always mean things will be perfect…and you will have struggles, but have the perseverance to NOT GIVE UP. EVER. If you do? Come back to this post to get started again. 
20. Ask your friends/family members for help. Don’t try to do everything on your own. Ask your spouse, significant other, parents, cousins, aunts, uncles, etc., if they will commit WITH you. It’s a lot easier if the people you live with (or spend a lot of your time with) are on board.
21. Read personal development books. These will help you change your mindset and your mindset is SO important when it comes to all aspects of your life. For example, right now I’m reading “The Purpose Driven Life”. They are small chapters so I just spend a few minutes each day reading one. You might wonder how on earth this will help you get back on track but try it for 7 days and let me know how you’re feeling. It’s a life-changer!
22. Turn negative thoughts into positive ones. Easier said than done, I KNOW. But the effort is worth it and can make ALL the difference! I’ve written about this several times on the blog here, here and here.
23. Forgive yourself.
24. Start a blog! It will help hold yourself accountable and makes it easy to share your journey with others! That’s why this blog exists and turned FIVE this year.
25. Realize that you DESERVE the body YOU DESIRE – whatever that means for you! This blog isn’t about perfection…I laugh in the face of perfection. Hahahahahaha. I got dents and stretch marks and I don’t always get excited about workouts…but I do know that I deserve what I have and what I’m ultimately working towards!
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Q. What helps YOU stay on track? Share it below – it just may help somebody else too!
